The term “grain drill,” or more simply “drill,” commonly refers to a seeder lacking the capability of seed singulation. Instead, the seed is metered volumetrically. Drills tend to have the furrow forming assemblies mounted to achieve narrow row spacing, although they may be mounted in a staggered pattern on two or more ranks. Drills are manufactured employing a wide variety of furrow forming assemblies, including non-rolling openers referred to as “hoe,” “knife,” or “sweep,” depending on the shape of the sliding component used, and both single- and double-disc openers.
No-till and minimum-till agricultural practices have become more widespread in recent years. Accordingly, the market for no-till and minimum-till grain drills has grown. One such grain drill is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,806 issued to Bigbee et al. for “Conservation Opener,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety. Various styles and types of row cleaning wheels exist for use with row cleaners mounted on either planter row units or grain drills. The proliferation of no-till planting has lead to other products related to row cleaners, such as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,351 issued to Martin for “Cleaner for Tined Wheels,” which is incorporated herein in its entirety.
One popular grain drill employing depth regulating and furrow closing assemblies with vertical relations that may be adjusted independently from one another is manufactured by Deere and Company, of Moline, Ill., and sold as the John Deere model no. 750 and its derivatives, the 752, 1850, 1860, and 1560. The 750-style opener unit has closing wheels inclined at twenty to twenty four degrees from the vertical and approximately eight degrees from the direction of travel.
The narrow spacing between the opener units and the “boxed in” configuration of the frame of the John Deere 750 drill have to date made it difficult to attach a suitable row cleaner thereto. For optimal performance, the row cleaner should be compact, adjustable, easily attached, aggressive enough to remove heavy residue for improved row clearing while not plugging adjacent or trailing opener units. The row cleaner design should inhibit or resist residue winding or wrapping between the deflector and the row cleaner wheel. Additionally, the row cleaner should allow for significant and/or adjustable down pressure to provide adequate clearing while floating (i.e., following the contour of the ground surface) if it meets with an obstacle. Finally, the row cleaner should allow adequate ground clearance when the frame of the grain drill is raised for transport.